Latent Linux demand not as big as at first thought

There's lies, damned lies and channel survey statistics…

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Last week we reported on the massive pent-up demand for Linux that has been identified in the UK reseller channel. The survey which threw up the remarkable figures was conducted on behalf of distribution giant C2000. Perhaps the most astounding statistic in the survey was that 71 per cent of resellers said their customers were ready to adopt Linux. Not only was it astounding, it was also slightly off the mark. Rather than 71 per cent, that figure should have been 29 per cent. An error in transposing the figures led to the picture for Linux looking somewhat brighter than it really is. Doh! Not our mistake, you understand. But we know how easy it is to make mistakes – most of us are only human after all. But it's still good news for all you devotees of the open source OS that Microsoft loves to hate. The survey, conducted by one of the UK's leading distributors, found that 29 per cent of resellers said their customers might be ready to indulge in a spot of Linux. Not as jaw-droppingly high a figure as it first appeared – but still pretty damned impressive; one in three resellers claiming end-users in the UK are ready for Linux? That's a pretty healthy potential market share just around the corner. From zero to hero? You better believe it, baby. It's just taking a little longer than initial reports suggested. ®